RICHMOND, Va. (RNS)—Back in John Kerry’s ill-fated 2004 presidential campaign, Democrats tried to attract so-called “NASCAR Dads”—white, working-class, mainly Southern fellows—to try to blunt George W. Bush’s re-election and show folks that Kerry was not a wealthy patrician who only…
Conservatives go after ‘NASCAR Christian’ vote
RICHMOND, Va. (RNS)—Back in John Kerry’s ill-fated 2004 presidential campaign, Democrats tried to attract so-called “NASCAR Dads”—white, working-class, mainly Southern fellows—to try to blunt George W. Bush’s re-election and show folks that Kerry was not a wealthy patrician who only…
Questions remain after Kinkade dies
NEW YORK (RNS)—The unexpected death of Thomas Kinkade on April 6 prompted an outpouring of grief for the hugely successful painter of pastoral landscapes, but also raised questions about the troubled final years of an artist whose use of Christian…
Questions remain after Christian painter Kinkade dies
NEW YORK (RNS)—The unexpected death of Thomas Kinkade on April 6 prompted an outpouring of grief for the hugely successful painter of pastoral landscapes, but also raised questions about the troubled final years of an artist whose use of Christian…
Evangelicals voting in record numbers in GOP primaries
NEW YORK (RNS)—Making up half of Republican primary voters, evangelicals appear to be turning out to support Rick Santorum’s resurgent campaign in record numbers and are increasingly influencing the shape of the party. Perhaps just as important, conservative Christians are…
Evangelicals voting in record numbers in GOP primaries
NEW YORK (RNS)—Making up half of Republican primary voters, evangelicals appear to be turning out to support Rick Santorum’s resurgent campaign in record numbers and are increasingly influencing the shape of the party. Perhaps just as important, conservative Christians are…
Evangelicals voting in record numbers in GOP primaries
NEW YORK (RNS)—Making up half of Republican primary voters, evangelicals appear to be turning out to support Rick Santorum’s resurgent campaign in record numbers and are increasingly influencing the shape of the party. Perhaps just as important, conservative Christians are…
ANALYSIS: Re-branding a religion is hard to do, and not always successful, as SBC discovers
NEW YORK (RNS) — Did leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention hurt their missionary cause by opting not to change the denomination’s name to something a bit more, well, marketable? Maybe, but as the advertising executives of Madison Avenue here…
Catholics support White House contraception mandate
NEW YORK (RNS) — A majority of Americans, including Catholics, believe that employers should be required to provide health care plans that cover contraception and birth control at no cost, according to a new survey. But the research by the…
Top Catholic bishop feels betrayed by Obama
WASHINGTON (RNS) — In the wake of President Obama’s controversial decision to mandate that religious groups pay for contraceptives for their employees, much of the coverage focused on how the president had disappointed progressive allies by giving religious groups an…
Why Mitt Romney can’t be the Mormon JFK
NEW YORK (RNS) — Mitt Romney’s sudden downgrade from Republican frontrunner to potential also-ran coincided with a massive shift of conservative Christians voters in South Carolina to Newt Gingrich’s camp. Why? Many observers trace it to lingering suspicion among evangelicals…
Poll: Preachy politicians turn off many voters
NEW YORK (RNS) — If there’s one thing the fractious Republican field agrees on, it’s that personal religious devotion is central to their campaign message. Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and even Ron Paul stress their faith on the…